I don't know about you, but I am a headache wimp - and I freely admit it to the patients of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic. I hardly ever get headaches, when I do I don't handle them very well. I get moody and I tend to "snap" at people that really mean me no harm.
In addition to my San Diego chiropractic office treating patients with neck pain and low back pain, we see many people with headaches. Headaches have many causes and there are many different types of headaches as well.
The most common types of headache that we provide treatment for are migraine and muscle tension headaches.
Muscle tension headaches typically begin in the muscles of the neck and upper back. When these muscle become tense, they pull on the muscles that cover your head. This tension results in a headache.
Muscle tension headaches can result from postural stresses such as long hours of computer work, they can develop as a result of car accident injuries, or just plain old work and home stresses.
One common reason for chronic, on going tension in the muscle is miss-aligned vertebra. When the vertebra become miss-aligned due to postural stress, awkward sleeping positions, accidents, etc., the muscles around that vertebra tighten up as a protective mechanism. The tight muscles are commonly the root cause of the muscle tension headache.
Chiropractic care re-aligns the joints of the spine causing a relaxation of the surrounding muscles. When the joints in the neck are re-aligned, the muscles that move and support that particular vertebra relax and return to their normal functions.
When the muscles are relaxed, the muscle tension subsides and the headache goes away. Treatment for muscle tension headaches usually requires a series of treatments but you should notice a decrease in the frequency and the severity of your headache with subsequent treatment.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain
Why do I have back pain? Being a chiropractor in San Diego, I hear this question all the time. Back pain and neck pain are the two most common complaints that my patients have. The fact that my practice is in San Diego probably decreases the frequency of these complaints. People in San Diego tend to be more active than those who live in other parts of the country which actually lowers the incidence of low back and neck pain.
Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work. Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.
In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients. They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.
Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.
Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture. When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter "c". This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine. When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.
With time, postural stress causes irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.
Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the biomechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.
In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body. In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems related to postural stress.
Over fifteen years ago when I first started practicing chiropractic care in San Diego, most of my low back pain patients and neck pain patients for that matter were not related to office work. Most of the cases that I had when I first started practicing were do to injuries like car accidents and falls or heavy work.
In the mid to late nineteen nineties, I started to see a trend in injury mechanisms among my patients. They were starting to attribute their pain to long hours of sitting at the computer.
Sitting all day at the computer not only causes back pain but it also causes neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome and various arm problems.
Lower back pain is primarily due to poor sitting posture. When we are standing up with good posture, our lower backs have a sweeping forward bowing curve that resembles a stretched out letter "c". This shape distributes our bodies weight evenly throughout the spine. When we sit, this curve reverses, greatly increasing the stress on the joints and discs in the spine.
With time, postural stress causes irritation and inflammation resulting in pain and muscle spasms.
Once the low back has reached a point of pain and spasms, chiropractic care is necessary to relieve the pain, improve the biomechanics of the spine and relax the muscles.
In addition to chiropractic care for back pain, the patient must seek out an ergonomic chair and have it adjusted properly for their body. In many cases, I suggest a complete workstation analysis to help prevent future problems related to postural stress.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Chiropractic Care is Much Safer Than You Think
As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I often deal with new patients who carry an unreasonable fear concerning chiropractic treatment. New patients that I see in my San Diego Chiropractic practice often have some fears associated with chiropractic treatment, in my opinion, a lifetime of neck pain, back pain or headaches should inspire much more fear than chiropractic treatment.
I have been practicing chiropractic in San Diego full time since I moved here in 1993. During that time I have kept in close contact with 8 friends that I made while in Chiropractic College. There are another 10 or so that I speak with 2 or 3 times per year. All but one of these doctors has been in full time practice for at least 15 years. Out of all of these doctors, not one of them has had a patient sue them for treatment related injuries. One of these doctors knows a doctor who was sued by a patient that tripped over his welcome mat and suffered a broken arm.
At a risk prevention seminar that I attended several years ago, the instructor stated that in a group of 25 chiropractors that practice for 20 years seeing an average of 100 patients per week, that one of these doctors would have a patient suffer from a serious injury related to treatment. That is equal to 1 serious injury in every 2.6 million chiropractic adjustments. When these numbers are compared to the dangers of Tylenol use for example, one can see how comparatively safe chiropractic care actually is. Just in the United States and the United Kingdom, each year there are 300 deaths and 130,000 emergency room visits as a direct result of Tylenol use.
The rest of this post is a compilation of facts regarding the safety of chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic is Safe.
Records form insurance and court cases have constantly shown that chiropractic is the safest portal of entry health care available to the public today. Although no healthcare procedures are 100% safe, chiropractic stands on its record of safety and effectiveness unmatched in healthcare. To learn more about the safety record of chiropractic please visit the website
Chiropractic Is Safe at www.chiropracticissafe.org.
Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary health care profession.
There are approximately 60,000 doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in active practice in the United States spread from rural areas to inner cities. More than 10,000 students are currently enrolled in chiropractic educational programs accredited by a federally-recognized body (CCE).
Chiropractic services are in high demand.
Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt for chiropractic services and this number is rapidly growing. In 1993, more than 30 million patients made chiropractic a regular part of their health care program.
Doctors of Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional education that is on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).
To receive the doctor of chiropractic degree, candidates must complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited chiropractic institution. Comprehensive knowledge of all systems of the body and diagnostic procedures enable the DC to thoroughly evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine and determine the need for referral to another health care provider.
Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers.
According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The DC can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC's office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service."
Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states. DCs have been licensed and recognized for many decades in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.
Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Workers' Compensation and all state workers' compensation programs.
Chiropractic students are qualified to receive federal student loan assistance and DCs are authorized to be commissioned as health care officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Chiropractic care is very effective and very safe. We have been treating patients with neck pain, back pain, headaches and many other symptoms for years without incident. I hope that this article hits home with some of you who have delayed chiropractic care due to unfounded fears.
I have been practicing chiropractic in San Diego full time since I moved here in 1993. During that time I have kept in close contact with 8 friends that I made while in Chiropractic College. There are another 10 or so that I speak with 2 or 3 times per year. All but one of these doctors has been in full time practice for at least 15 years. Out of all of these doctors, not one of them has had a patient sue them for treatment related injuries. One of these doctors knows a doctor who was sued by a patient that tripped over his welcome mat and suffered a broken arm.
At a risk prevention seminar that I attended several years ago, the instructor stated that in a group of 25 chiropractors that practice for 20 years seeing an average of 100 patients per week, that one of these doctors would have a patient suffer from a serious injury related to treatment. That is equal to 1 serious injury in every 2.6 million chiropractic adjustments. When these numbers are compared to the dangers of Tylenol use for example, one can see how comparatively safe chiropractic care actually is. Just in the United States and the United Kingdom, each year there are 300 deaths and 130,000 emergency room visits as a direct result of Tylenol use.
The rest of this post is a compilation of facts regarding the safety of chiropractic treatment.
Chiropractic is Safe.
Records form insurance and court cases have constantly shown that chiropractic is the safest portal of entry health care available to the public today. Although no healthcare procedures are 100% safe, chiropractic stands on its record of safety and effectiveness unmatched in healthcare. To learn more about the safety record of chiropractic please visit the website
Chiropractic Is Safe at www.chiropracticissafe.org.
Chiropractic is the fastest-growing and second-largest primary health care profession.
There are approximately 60,000 doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in active practice in the United States spread from rural areas to inner cities. More than 10,000 students are currently enrolled in chiropractic educational programs accredited by a federally-recognized body (CCE).
Chiropractic services are in high demand.
Tens of millions of Americans routinely opt for chiropractic services and this number is rapidly growing. In 1993, more than 30 million patients made chiropractic a regular part of their health care program.
Doctors of Chiropractic receive extensive, demanding professional education that is on par with medical doctors (MDs) and osteopaths (DOs).
To receive the doctor of chiropractic degree, candidates must complete extensive undergraduate prerequisites and four years of graduate-level instruction and internship at an accredited chiropractic institution. Comprehensive knowledge of all systems of the body and diagnostic procedures enable the DC to thoroughly evaluate a patient, address disorders relating to the spine and determine the need for referral to another health care provider.
Doctors of Chiropractic are primary health care providers.
According to the Center for Studies in Health Policy, "The DC can provide all three levels of primary care interventions and therefore is a primary care provider, as are MDs and DOs. The doctor of chiropractic is a gatekeeper to the health care system and an independent practitioner who provides primary care services. The DC's office is a direct access portal of entry to the full scope of service."
Doctors of Chiropractic are licensed in all 50 states. DCs have been licensed and recognized for many decades in all states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Chiropractic is recognized by governmental health care programs.
Chiropractic is included in Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Employees Health Care Benefits Programs, Federal Workers' Compensation and all state workers' compensation programs.
Chiropractic students are qualified to receive federal student loan assistance and DCs are authorized to be commissioned as health care officers in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Chiropractic care is very effective and very safe. We have been treating patients with neck pain, back pain, headaches and many other symptoms for years without incident. I hope that this article hits home with some of you who have delayed chiropractic care due to unfounded fears.
Friday, May 2, 2008
Why Does Chiropractic Care Work?
A new patient of my San Diego Chiropractic clinic asked me this question just the other day. The funny thing about this question was that he was a new patient for me but he had been going to different chiropractors for nearly 40 years. Over the years he had struggled with neck pain, back pain and headaches that occurred after various falls, work injuries and car accidents and had created his need for a life time of chiropractic treatment. I thought it was odd that he asked me why chiropractic works after all the care he had been through.
Certain types of injuries cause chronic symptoms Various physical issues that never fully return to their pre-accident state cause chronic symptoms.
For instance, whiplash type injuries leave about 25% of the patients with chronic ongoing neck pain. In these cases, the muscles that move and support the neck have been stretched and sometimes torn. When muscles tear they heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue does not move, stretch or contract like healthy muscle tissue.
Because of the different properties of scar tissue that has formed within the healthy muscle, the joint that is moved by that muscle becomes dysfunctional. As the joints movement alters, it has the potential to become irritated and inflamed. These irritated and inflamed joints then become painful, restricted in their movements and the muscles that move that joint tighten and spasm as a protective mechanism.
Chiropractic care is the perfect solution for painful joints and spasmed muscles. Through manipulation or adjustments of the affected joints, the muscle spasms are calmed and the pain is relieved. For some patients, ongoing chiropractic care helps prevent the onset of pain and stiffness that is associated with chronic injuries.
This example above is just one of the reasons that some chiropractic patients come in for treatment on a regular basis.
As for the patient above, he said he has been coming in for chiropractic for neck pain and back pain for years. He receives treatment for both health maintenance reasons as well as for control of specific symptoms that come up from time to time.
Certain types of injuries cause chronic symptoms Various physical issues that never fully return to their pre-accident state cause chronic symptoms.
For instance, whiplash type injuries leave about 25% of the patients with chronic ongoing neck pain. In these cases, the muscles that move and support the neck have been stretched and sometimes torn. When muscles tear they heal with scar tissue. Scar tissue does not move, stretch or contract like healthy muscle tissue.
Because of the different properties of scar tissue that has formed within the healthy muscle, the joint that is moved by that muscle becomes dysfunctional. As the joints movement alters, it has the potential to become irritated and inflamed. These irritated and inflamed joints then become painful, restricted in their movements and the muscles that move that joint tighten and spasm as a protective mechanism.
Chiropractic care is the perfect solution for painful joints and spasmed muscles. Through manipulation or adjustments of the affected joints, the muscle spasms are calmed and the pain is relieved. For some patients, ongoing chiropractic care helps prevent the onset of pain and stiffness that is associated with chronic injuries.
This example above is just one of the reasons that some chiropractic patients come in for treatment on a regular basis.
As for the patient above, he said he has been coming in for chiropractic for neck pain and back pain for years. He receives treatment for both health maintenance reasons as well as for control of specific symptoms that come up from time to time.
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